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Virat Kohli in nets (PC: Debasis Sen) Players are remembered for different reasons. Some for their deeds and some for failures. Virat Kohli’s case is a queer one. Unquestionably one of the greatest of batters of his generation, he has been spoken about of late for his inability to cope with spin bowling. His records are still quite overwhelming. However, there is a reason to think that he will be remembered for both reasons. This is the tale of a strange contradiction. Kohli is on the same pedestal with Joe Root, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson. They are the contemporaries he is compared with. There is no doubt that the Indian is head and shoulders above these peers when it comes to one-day cricket. He is perhaps the best batter in the history of the 50-over game. At the same time, it is difficult to overlook that Kohli’s average has dipped below 50, unlike Root (51.01), Smith (56.97) and Williamson (54.48). For a long time, the Indian averaged above 50 in all three formats. Whil...

Sarfaraz Khan and KL Rahul (PC: BCCI) Subhayan Chakraborty in Mumbai Indian cricketers are always under the microscope, and criticism comes thick and fast when players are not having consistent returns. Over the last few years, players like Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and Shubman Gill have been the mainstay in the middle order and all of them have gone through their fair share of criticism when not on song. Now, the spotlight shifts to KL Rahul, who is in a contest with Sarfaraz Khan for the crucial No. 6 batting position, especially with India’s upcoming five-Test series against Australia around the corner. A win in the Mumbai Test against New Zealand is paramount, as India’s chances for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final are at stake following their twin losses to the Kiwis. India simply cannot afford to lose. As was the case in Pune, there is a direct showdown between Rahul and Sarfaraz for the number six spot in Mumbai with slight focus ...

Harmanpreet Kaur for team India (PC: X) After a strong start to the series, India’s women’s cricket team suffered a heavy 76-run loss in the second ODI against New Zealand, while chasing a target of 260. With the series now tied, fans eagerly await today’s decider at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. However, the persistent struggle in run chases has become a critical concern for this Indian team in the 50-over format. In the past two years, India has won just one out of their last six ODIs while chasing, with four losses and a tie. Their last successful chase was against South Africa in June 2024 in Bengaluru, where they reached a target of 216 with ease. They have stumbled in chases against teams like Bangladesh, Australia (two matches) and New Zealand. Even on home turf, India’s record in run chases has been troubling, with two wins and three losses in their last five attempts. With the upcoming 50-over World Cup set to be hosted in India, these stats are a cause for concern ...

From Left: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna. Source: X If there is something that draws attention immediately to the Indian squad for the tour of Australia, it’s the number of fast bowlers. For the five-Test series, there are five in the side of 18 — Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana. Plus, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed and Navdeep Saini have been added as travelling reserves. From the outside, eight pace options is an unusually high number. Rarely, possibly never, have India travelled with so many of them. Obviously, only five are the first-choice options, but effectively, the team can choose from eight if need be. Five Tests over a month and-a-half is a gruelling tour and the team management wants to make sure that they are not short on resources in case of breakdowns. On one hand, this appears to be a safety-first approach. Other than Bumrah and Siraj, the other three in the primary squad are newcomers. Deep h...

PC – BCCI. Saima Thakor. Saima Thakor, the Mumbai-born cricketer, has varied interests. When she was younger, she had aspirations of becoming a goalkeeper for her college team and then she ended up being the forward. When it came to cricket, she wished to be a wicketkeeper but took up pace bowling as it was told to her that it is relatively less expensive to bowl. Fast-forward to the present day, and she showed some spark with her medium pacers on her ODI debut against New Zealand. In the very next game, batting at No. 10, she stitched a 70-run stand for the 9th wicket with Radha Yadav, which almost eclipsed a record in ODIs. From the aforesaid lines, it is quite evident that Saima is a woman of many talents.  For starters, let’s consider her performance with the ball in the opening India-New Zealand ODI. Although she took the prized scalp of Suzie Bates in her first over with a fine outswinger, she seemed to be struggling with a change in tactics from Smriti Mandhana. The In...

Boria Majumdar with MSK Prasad (PC: Boria Majumdar/X) New Zealand have humiliated India in India, clinching an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ongoing three-match Test series. After 12 years, India’s unbeaten streak at home has come to an end, and with one more Test remaining at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Indian fans are growing anxious about the team’s form – especially with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia on the horizon and their place in another World Test Championship final uncertain. In an exclusive chat with Boria Majumdar, RevSportz Editor-in-Chief, former India cricketer and chief selector MSK Prasad shared insights on the team’s struggles against spin, the quality of spinners moving forward, the futures of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and the challenges ahead in Australia. Boria: What has happened in the last few years that we do not play spin well? What is the problem? Prasad: I would like to remind you that in the last few years – maybe 14-15 years, ever si...

Gautam Gambhir with Rohit Sharma (PC: X) Subhayan Chakrabarty in Pune India’s journey to qualify for the World Test Championship is currently precarious, with the future participation of veteran players like Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin in doubt due to potential retirements. Their departure could usher in a challenging era of transition for the Indian cricket team. But who are the potential replacements of some of the senior-most players of the Indian team – Rohit, Virat Kohli, Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami – when the time comes for them to bid adieu to the longest format? The likelihood of Rohit Sharma continuing through another WTC cycle seems slim, given his age. Similarly, Ashwin, who would be 41, is also likely to step back. Kohli is 35, Jadeja is 35 and Shami is 34 and the Indian team management should start grooming their replacements in the future in a bid to ensure a smoother transition. Batting options like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Rut...